Hey TIGforums, I'm new around here, name is Andrew. I was hanging out/posting a bit in the playtesting forum, but I've migrated over here as I still have many updates ahead of me. Looking forward to checking out some other games.

Hoping to get some feedback on our game "Shutter", made with Unity. Some of the art and sound effects are just placeholder.

- Passive game, set in a single house - Setup: You are doing remote surveillance for a security company in an old cabin - Upload photographs, get new camera upgrades - Fixed camera angles like classic survival horror games - Use visual/audio cues to take pictures of ghosts. - In development since March 2012 (concept work started Aug 2011)

Have a big update coming this week, been so nice to have a lot of time recently to work on this game, what a luxury! I'm currently just polishing up the first 5 minutes of the game, before I add in more content.

Been adding in a lot of new textures; here's a few screenshots from the beginning "training area". The blue cylinders are the cameras, they are still placeholder. That huge screen is where the photos you take are displayed.

Also, been trying to figure out the sub-plot the game. The main story is the interaction between you and your dispatcher, who is somewhat annoyed you are taking pictures of "ghosts", until he slowly becomes a believer, then a supporter.

The sub-plot is the backstory of the ghosts themselves. I always wanted it to be non-violent, and end with a twist.

Anybody have any good story ideas?

In terms of gameplay, there is a female wandering around the house in patterns, which is the main source of the photos you need to be taking. There is also a male ghost who is following you, which serves as the "boss" of the game. There are notes hidden around the house which you need to take photos of to read about the backstory.

Downloaded this, very interesting game. I really liked the atmosphere. This game is actually kinda cute, a brave little robot against spooky ghosts!

I'm not good at commenting stories, but I think that the ghosts really don't need a gender because... well, they're ghosts. It also leaves room for the player's imagination. But do whatever you think fits the story.

Downloaded this, very interesting game. I really liked the atmosphere. This game is actually kinda cute, a brave little robot against spooky ghosts!

I'm not good at commenting stories, but I think that the ghosts really don't need a gender because... well, they're ghosts. It also leaves room for the player's imagination. But do whatever you think fits the story.

Thanks! Now you got me thinking I should add a few R2D2 sound effects to the robot itself, give it a bit more personality.

The ghosts themselves already are very obviously male and female, this will become more obvious as you get better camera upgrades (thermal, nightvision, etc).

Heres a few screenshots of the courtyard, updated with new ground textures, rocks, and bushes.

Sometimes I spend far too much time adjusting all the fixed cameras in a room. This is probably the third or fourth time I've moved around the cameras/triggers in this living room area.

Sometimes I'll need to move the cameras around to better show off a ghost in the room. In this case, an invisible ghost is carrying a visible book (floating) around the desk, so I needed a single camera to show off the whole desk area.

Huge update:Major• Battery meter: drains when in first person view, recharges when NOT in first person view• Fixed bug where certain objects in distance were flickering• Can look higher and lower when taking a photo (Raycasting on Y-axis)• Added “jump scare” triggers

Minor• Crows! • Moved around cameras/triggers• Updated training section• Emails re-written• New sound effects• New textures • Rocks and bushes added to courtyard• New security cameras• New ghost shader• Renamed “R.C.T.V.” to “R.A.V.E.N. Shield”• Added loading bar at start• Moved placement of flashlight• Increased flashlight intensity• Turned off photography flashlight at game launch (bug)• Removed “upload picture” button/window until you need it• Removed trigger textures in training area• Moved Photo viewing screen in training area, and made way bigger• Added lights/cameras switch to training area• New sound effect for calibration screen• New start screen• Changed shader on graffiti so it receives shadows• Upgrading camera now resets last picture taken

It could just be me, but I don't really want to play as a protagonist that's a little robot guy in this scenario. It's not like it's going to feel fear, right? I admit that it's an interesting angle, but to essentially be a camera strapped to wheels in a genre that preys on the fears of a human mind doesn't seem right to me. Don't let me stop you from making this though.

It could just be me, but I don't really want to play as a protagonist that's a little robot guy in this scenario. It's not like it's going to feel fear, right? I admit that it's an interesting angle, but to essentially be a camera strapped to wheels in a genre that preys on the fears of a human mind doesn't seem right to me. Don't let me stop you from making this though.

That's a fair point, appreciate the feedback. Conceptually, wanted to make a fixed camera game with as little animations as possible, just to keep the game a bit more simple (from a development perspective). Personally, I've sort of struggled with immersion in games, and always feel kind of weird controlling a human. I wanted to make something that addresses the fact that you are a person at home with a controller in front of a tv.

Whoops, our artist found a bunch of small bugs with that last build. Cleaned most of it up today, some of these I can't seem to recreate on my computer. Also, added in a few bits of new art he created.

• Removed ability to turn off flashlight (was causing bugs)• Edited script for taking pictures • Fixed bug where holding down “space” too long would keep taking pictures• Press “E” to open computer anywhere after first upgrade (version 2.0)• Moved around more cameras

Added in another camera on the Droid to physically represent the "over the shoulder" camera view you get when holding down mouse button 1. Not sure if I'm going to keep this or not.

Anybody have any neat "ghost" effects I can add in?

Currently have an opening door, a floating book, a flickering light. Will also be adding in moving shadows, plates dropping, ghost appearing in a mirror, ghost appearing when the lightning flashes, piano playing by itself, radio going to a static effect, cameras "looking" at ghost.

A classic "tell" of a ghost is a temperature drop (as seen in sixth sense), so you might have a part where the glass on a window is fogging or frosting up as the ghost moves through it.

You could also include an animal freaking out as the ghost approaches it, or simply moving its head to look at the ghost.

Finally, as an homage to the genre, I hope you will include a sequence where there is a long hallway with three doors on either side. At the climax of the story, the robot and the two ghosts chase each other through the various doors in unlikely combinations as campy music and the audience laugh track set the tone. (as seen here:

A classic "tell" of a ghost is a temperature drop (as seen in sixth sense), so you might have a part where the glass on a window is fogging or frosting up as the ghost moves through it.

You could also include an animal freaking out as the ghost approaches it, or simply moving its head to look at the ghost.

Finally, as an homage to the genre, I hope you will include a sequence where there is a long hallway with three doors on either side. At the climax of the story, the robot and the two ghosts chase each other through the various doors in unlikely combinations as campy music and the audience laugh track set the tone. (as seen here:

)

Hahaha, that is the perfect ending! So climactic.

The fogging glass and the freaked-out animal are both killer ideas. The game already has a crow, so it'd be a good way to get more use out of it. Also have an awesome thermal-vision post-processing effect I'm trying to figure out how to use.

The fogging glass and the freaked-out animal are both killer ideas. The game already has a crow, so it'd be a good way to get more use out of it. Also have an awesome thermal-vision post-processing effect I'm trying to figure out how to use.

When I read the concept, I thought the hook for the game would be that eventually the robot gets trapped in the house, and for some reason, the protagonist has to go into the house in person. The idea would be that you are able to learn the layout, the behaviour of the ghosts, etc. while controlling the robot, but then toward the end of the story, you have to go into the house in person (and can be harmed by the ghost!), and you need to use your prior knowledge of the layout and the movement of the ghosts to have a chance. That could be kind of a neat way to have a "last act" of the game where you have to use all the skills and knowledge you've learned up to that point. It could be cool also to see all the rooms you've only seen from a fixed angle/the robot's camera, suddenly though normal vision from human height.

I know that doing that might go against your idea of not needing to animate a human for the game, though there's no need to show the appearance of the protagonist for those sequences.

When I read the concept, I thought the hook for the game would be that eventually the robot gets trapped in the house, and for some reason, the protagonist has to go into the house in person. The idea would be that you are able to learn the layout, the behaviour of the ghosts, etc. while controlling the robot, but then toward the end of the story, you have to go into the house in person (and can be harmed by the ghost!), and you need to use your prior knowledge of the layout and the movement of the ghosts to have a chance. That could be kind of a neat way to have a "last act" of the game where you have to use all the skills and knowledge you've learned up to that point. It could be cool also to see all the rooms you've only seen from a fixed angle/the robot's camera, suddenly though normal vision from human height.

I know that doing that might go against your idea of not needing to animate a human for the game, though there's no need to show the appearance of the protagonist for those sequences.

You have a lot of great ideas! That would actually be easy to do from a development perspective, as you said, just doing from a first person view would eliminate the need to ever even show the protagonist.

This idea is something I've been thinking about more for a shutter 2. Having a human sitting in a control room (like "5 nights at freddys"), looking at security cameras and controlling a drone, sometimes having to leave the control room and explore the house.

Before I even started this game, I really just wanted to make a passive game, with no like "death sequences". Also, the protagonist in the game is you, the player, sitting at home, doing remote surveillance for a security company. Tough call. I want to do what is best for the game, but also can be stubborn in sticking to my original concept.

Thanks so much for your input, I am really going to consider this for the final act.